Traffic light cities

carmanmemoranda said:
Nobody seems to be affected by people in wrong lanes at roundabouts.

Causes lots of issues, albeit smaller maybe
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It's undoubtedly true a fair few people don't know how to use them properly. It amuses me if I'm the last one to arrive at a three way roundabout only to find vehicles at the other two junctions, just sitting there. So then we're all just sitting there playing a game of 'who's going to move first?' Sometimes it's even more amusing if you start to move and one of the other vehicles takes that as their cue to start moving!

Or vehicles going straight on who don't go around the roundabout properly, meaning if you're going right you have to hold back. Another common one.

However when roundabouts are used by excellent drivers like me, they work well :)
 
In my native Italy nobody pays attention to traffic lights and we get to destination a lot quicker...
 
johnny2007 said:
In my native Italy nobody pays attention to traffic lights and we get to destination a lot quicker...
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I've seen how locals treat traffic lights in Rome as a cross between Rollerball and mad dodgem cars. Sure, you might get there quicker...or not at all. Take your chances. Has the 15-minute city concept got there yet?

An article in the Guardian is saying how the “15-minute city” has become a toxic phrase in the UK, so controversial that the city of Oxford has stopped using it and the transport minister has spread discredited conspiracy theories about the urban planning scheme. But while fake news spreads about officials enacting “climate lockdowns” to “imprison” people in their neighbourhoods, across the Channel, Parisians are enjoying their new 15-minute neighbourhoods. The French are stereotyped for their love of protest, so the lack of uproar around the redesign of their capital is in stark contrast to the frenzied response in Oxford.

for the record: I like Traffic Lights.


:D
 
Most traffic lights I can remember was driving along the long main road (Prince St??) in Edinburgh in early 90s. Seemed to be stopping every few feet. Was late at night - no traffic. Driving in France recently, they seem to have traffic lights for no other purpose than to slow traffic through villages. Do like their clever idea of having small repeater lights lower down on the pole of traffic lights for driver at front to see. Saves the need for a second traffic light across the junction.
 
ReganAndCarter said:
Most traffic lights I can remember was driving along the long main road (Prince St??) in Edinburgh in early 90s. Seemed to be stopping every few feet. Was late at night - no traffic. Driving in France recently, they seem to have traffic lights for no other purpose than to slow traffic through villages. Do like their clever idea of having small repeater lights lower down on the pole of traffic lights for driver at front to see. Saves the need for a second traffic light across the junction.
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Princes Street. Once one of thee greatest streets in Scotland, now a shadow of its former self, in a sense suffering in a similar manner to high streets.

Can't drive along most of it these days, it's part of the Edinburgh tram route, the excellently run project that was only £400 million overspent and 5 years late.
 
Oh hell needs to add this one to the Ferry / ship yard nationalization debacle then.
 
Odds said:
I've seen how locals treat traffic lights in Rome as a cross between Rollerball and mad dodgem cars. Sure, you might get there quicker...or not at all. Take your chances. Has the 15-minute city concept got there yet?

An article in the Guardian is saying how the “15-minute city” has become a toxic phrase in the UK, so controversial that the city of Oxford has stopped using it and the transport minister has spread discredited conspiracy theories about the urban planning scheme. But while fake news spreads about officials enacting “climate lockdowns” to “imprison” people in their neighbourhoods, across the Channel, Parisians are enjoying their new 15-minute neighbourhoods. The French are stereotyped for their love of protest, so the lack of uproar around the redesign of their capital is in stark contrast to the frenzied response in Oxford.

for the record: I like Traffic Lights.


:D
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Italians are the best sheep when it comes to follow the crowd.
However, one thing they can't be without is their car, so the 15 minute city will never work.
My sister takes the car to go to her local shop across the road, literally less than 2 minutes walk.
Nobody walks there and there are no bikes.
Maybe in the more civilised north there are people walking 2 minutes at times and someone even cycling, but south of Rome, forget it...
 
ReganAndCarter said:
Do like their clever idea of having small repeater lights lower down on the pole of traffic lights for driver at front to see. Saves the need for a second traffic light across the junction.
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They're known as drag lights ;)

But the French also do have a useful system on many of their temporary traffic light systems...

Namely a countdown feature that tells you how long you will be waiting.

Very civilised!
 
johnny2007 said:
Italians are the best sheep when it comes to follow the crowd.
However, one thing they can't be without is their car, so the 15 minute city will never work.
My sister takes the car to go to her local shop across the road, literally less than 2 minutes walk.
Nobody walks there and there are no bikes.
Maybe in the more civilised north there are people walking 2 minutes at times and someone even cycling, but south of Rome, forget it...
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Me and the missus had fun in Rome trying to spot the undamaged car. There were very few.

Being taxied to the hotel, we and a cop car in front were being held up in traffic by a chap in his car on his phone. He shrugged at the gesticulating rozzer as if to say, 'I'm on the phone, dummy' and carried on with his chat, much to the exasperation of the rozzers.
 
ellal said:
But the French also do have a useful system on many of their temporary traffic light systems...

Namely a countdown feature that tells you how long you will be waiting.

Very civilised!
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Yes, saw those as well. Couldn't decide if it was a good thing to have some idea of how much of my life I'd be wasting at roadworks or not. Clever though, and the smiley face did amuse.

Things are generally quite civilised there, though not always the driving. They're big on tailgating, and on my last two trips can't ever remember someone letting me out of a junction - and when I did let others out or go through no one waved to thank me.
 
ReganAndCarter said:
Things are generally quite civilised there, though not always the driving. They're big on tailgating, and on my last two trips can't ever remember someone letting me out of a junction - and when I did let others out or go through no one waved to thank me.
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I've driven in many countries, and to be fair I believe that UK drivers are on the whole some of the most courteous...

Plus in France, flashing your headlights means 'I'm coming through'!
 
ellal said:
I've driven in many countries, and to be fair I believe that UK drivers are on the whole some of the most courteous...

Plus in France, flashing your headlights means 'I'm coming through'!
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Yes, would agree with that.

I did wonder why flashing my lights didn't get the usual response.
 
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